Timothy DeChristopher broke the law. A nation built on laws cannot allow someone to disrupt a federal auction in order to gain attention for a cause and not face consequences. That ought to be obvious to any impartial observer. The result would be chaos in a nation where causes are as plentiful as websites.

The jury in U.S. District Judge Dee Benson's court made the correct decision Thursday to find DeChristopher guilty on charges he interfered with an onshore oil and gas leasing act and making a false representation to the federal government. Benson also was correct to confine the trial to the charges themselves, and not to allow the courtroom to be a bully pulpit for a cause.

Among the many nations of the world, the United States has a generous allowance for people to show their displeasure with government. The Constitution's First Amendment lets people peaceably assemble and petition government for a redress of grievances, as well as to say and publish virtually anything they wish within the broad limits of libel and slander laws. The nation's Founders believed in the power of ideas.

DeChristopher found those freedoms lacking. He apparently found the ideas of 17th century poet and author John Milton about letting truth and falsehood grapple in a free society — ideas that formed a foundation for free speech laws — too confining. By his own admission, he wanted to do more than just wave a sign in a protest march, and so he pretended to be a legitimate bidder and ended up with $1.8 million in liabilities he had no means to pay. This was not a simple matter of civil disobedience. It was much more serious than that. However, even those who commit civil disobedience do so knowing they will suffer consequences.

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The leases have since been withdrawn by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, but that is of little consequence. If someone robs a store, the crime is no less serious if the store happens to be out of business by the time of the trial.

DeChristopher's issue is global warming, something he passionately believes is exacerbated by the extraction of fossil fuels. Many like-minded people stood outside the courtroom this week and protested peacefully for the same cause. However, there are many other people who are just as passionate in their belief that global warming is not a serious issue.

The Founding Fathers had an abiding faith that the merits of an argument, if allowed to be heard through a peaceful free-flow of ideas, would be more powerful than force. That route, while best for civil society, demands patience and perseverance.

Unfortunately for DeChristopher, he chose a more forceful route. While prosecutors may not demand the severest punishment possible, there must be consequences.

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